“DCP” wrote: Over at the Peterson Obsession Board, denigrating and mocking Stephen Smoot (presumably because he threatens their position) is a popular occasional pastime, as is, much less frequently, lionizing Dan McClellan (because they esteem him, whether correctly or not, as a potent weapon against Latter-day Saint apologetics and Latter-day Saint beliefs). Recently “Dumb-Dud” and my Mini-Stalker have teamed up there to use me in this game, and I think that I need to contradict their abuse of me (and of Brothers Smoot and McClellan) now, before it settles into the record as being true:
Supposedly, I have somewhere pronounced Dan McClellan the best student that I ever had. But Steve Smoot, they say, also took several classes from me while he was a student at BYU, and so, therefore, my identification of Dan McClellan as my all-time best student must surely fill Brother Smoot with shame and jealousy and sadness.
However, I don’t believe that Steve Smoot ever took a class from me at BYU. (He can correct me on that if I’m wrong.) And I have never said that Dan McClellan was the best student that I ever had at BYU. I’ve never even said that about anybody privately. Nor would I ever say it publicly — not least for the very reason that I wouldn’t want to cause other good students to feel relatively devalued. I’ve said, yes, that Dan was a very good student. But I haven’t crowned a “best student ever,” not even in my own mind. There are several past students who, if I ever cared to do so, would definitely be in the competition.
Careful readers will note I never said
Dan claimed McClellan was his best student. I simply made the assertion all by myself, as Mr. Dud.
Dan is welcome to offer evidence to the contrary.